AD Interviews: Steven Ehrlich

Recently awarded the prestigious Maybeck Award by the AIA California Council (AIACC), Steven Ehrlich (FAIA, RIBA) has earned international recognition for his distinctive architecture and philosophy that has greatly influenced the architectural community. As the Design Principle of Ehrlich Architects, the Los Angeles-based architect is dedicated to the philosophy of Multicultural Modernism – a unique approach to architecture and planning that is centered on architectural anthropology; an idea that strives to identify and celebrate the uniqueness of each individual culture through design.

We had the chance to have Steven in our office, and he did a very interesting presentation to the ArchDaily editorial team where we learned more about his formation and early years, and how that experience has been translated in his buildings. Ehrlich’s philosophy was kindled in the seventies when he practiced as an architect for the Peace Corps in Morocco and served as a professor of architecture in Nigeria. For six years, Ehrlich lived, taught, traveled and studied indigenous vernacular architecture in North and West Africa, allowing him gain a greater understanding between the connections of architecture, culture, people and place.

Ehrlich is a graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He lectures extensively throughout the United States and abroad, and has served as a guest critic at USC, Harvard, Yale and UCLA. As an advocate for the arts, Ehrlich has collaborated with several notable artists, such as Ed Moses, Miriam Wosk, Guy Dill and John Okulick.

In addition to the Maybeck Award, Ehrlich Architects has won eight National AIA Design Awards and was named 2003 Firm of the Year by the AIACC, under Ehrlich’s leadership. His work can be found at a recent monograph published by Monacelli Press: Steven Ehrlich Houses.